Emergency training designed to prepare community|Do you know how
to put out a fire with an extinguisher?
Could you join the volunteer team assisting firefighters and
police officers helping victims of a man-made or natural
disaster?
Those and other skills are part of the lesson plan for the
Community Emergency Response Team training offered by Englewood
Safety Services.
Classes are taught from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Monday through Friday
for two weeks. Those completing the course receive a certificate
and a CERT identification badge. For information or to sign up for
the program, call Willie Ortiz, CERT manager, at
720-840-7353.
By By: Tom Munds
Do you know how to put out a fire with an
extinguisher?
Could you join the volunteer team assisting firefighters and
police officers helping victims of a man-made or natural
disaster?
Those and other skills are part of the lesson plan for the
Community Emergency Response Team training offered by Englewood
Safety Services.
Classes are taught from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Monday through Friday
for two weeks. Those completing the course receive a certificate
and a CERT identification badge. For information or to sign up for
the program, call Willie Ortiz, CERT manager, at
720-840-7353.
“Englewood has been providing free classes to trained volunteer
response team members for several years,” said Willie Ortiz,
manager of Englewood CERT program. “Fortunately, we have never had
to call on the team members for assistance, but so far, between 200
and 300 people have attended the training sessions.”
Ortiz explained that, during the 20-hour training session, fire
division personnel will direct hands-on training in skills such as
putting out a blaze with a fire extinguisher and using basic first
aid techniques to apply bandages to injuries. Sessions also include
instructions on how to help be part of a search and rescue effort
and what is involved if asked to be part of a citizen’s response
team.
“Personal and family emergency preparedness is another area of
focus,” Ortiz said. “We talk about home evacuation plans and the
importance of having a home emergency kit that includes supplied
for three or four days as well as items like batteries for flash
lights and a battery-powered radio.”
Ortiz said the citizen training is usually conducted once a year
in the fall. He said there also is a session in the spring for high
school student enrolled in the medical assistance
program.
“Our long-term goal is to train residents so we have a workable
system that can mobilize a citizen response team to help
firefighters and police officers in the case of an emergency,” he
said. “Personally, I would like to arrange to have team members
participate in an emergency preparedness exercise with out
emergency personnel. Right now, that is just an idea but I hope we
can eventually make it happen.”